Monday, November 19, 2007

I guess Ferguson IS a Schmerguson

If you're a reader of political blogs, you probably already know about Ferguson's decision to bow out for '08.

A shocker to say the least.

Last week it was Jim Saxton in the NJ-3 dropping out; now it's Ferguson. If this keeps up ---one Republican dropping out per week---by Christmas, the Republican Congressional delegation will have no incumbents left to run.

And so the New Jersey buzz in the blogosphere these days is the fact that Mike Ferguson is not seeking re-election in the NJ 7th so that he "can spend more time with his family".

So, now Ferguson is a 'spender', too.

"Can spend more time with his family". That's always the number one reason an incumbent drops out. Or maybe it's "the system is broken". Or maybe "politics so become much too expensive to run a campaign."

It's never "Things are not going well, and I may be beaten by my opponent and the last time I ran I nearly lost." That's never the reason.

Some Ferguson Facts:

In June 2003, after a three-year dispute with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Congressman Ferguson agreed to pay $210,000 for a loan that he made to his campaign during his first election of $525,000 from a trust established for the Congressman by his parents. The FEC claimed that this loan from the trust equated to a gift from his parents. According to Federal law, the cap on personal contributions from an individual to a candidate is capped at $25,000 per election cycle. The fine was one of the highest ever paid to the FEC. Ferguson maintained that he did nothing wrong.

Ferguson received the third most money of all recipients of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's ARMPAC campaign contributions. DeLay is being prosecuted on charges of felony money laundering of campaign finances and conspiracy to launder money. To date, Ferguson has not offered to return any of the $54,403 he received from DeLay or ARMPAC, despite calls from Democrats to do so.

In 2003, Georgetown University junior Michelle Mezoe accused Ferguson of grabbing her at the Rhino Bar and Pumphouse in Georgetown.

In 2006, Ferguson came within a point of losing to Assw. Linda Stender.

Maybe those are some of the reasons.

Anyway, whether it's Senator Lance or Assm. Jon Bramnick or Tom Jr. or former congressman Bob Franks, it will be an interesting race, none-the-less.

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Joey Novick

Joey Novick, founder of New Jersey:Politics Unusual, is an attorney, professional stand-up comedian, professional keynote speaker, and a former elected official in NJ. He resides in Flemington, New Jersey, where currently serves as the Chairman of the Flemington Democratic Party. He is developing a one-man show about politics and humor in the Garden State. NJPoliticsUnusual has been recognized by Campaigns & Elections and SNJ Business People. Joey appears monthly on News-12 Power & Politics, sharing his keen insights with NJ's politicians. Contact Joey at joeynovick@earthlink.net.